Rb. Mullen et Sk. Schmidt, MYCORRHIZAL INFECTION, PHOSPHORUS UPTAKE, AND PHENOLOGY IN RANUNCULUS-ADONEUS - IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FUNCTIONING OF MYCORRHIZAE IN ALPINE SYSTEMS, Oecologia, 94(2), 1993, pp. 229-234
Phosphorus levels, phenology of roots and shoots, and development of v
esicular arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi were monitored for two yea
rs in natural populations of the perennial alpine herb, Ranunculus ado
neus. The purpose of this study was to understand how phosphorus uptak
e relates to the phenology of R. adoneus and to ascertain whether arbu
sculus, fungal structures used for nutrient transfer. were present whe
n maximum phosphorus accumulation was occurring. Arbuscules were only
present for a few weeks during the growing season of R. adoneus and th
eir presence corresponded with increased phosphorus accumulation in bo
th the roots and shoots of R. udoneus. In addition, phosphorus accumul
ation and peaks in mycorrhizal development occurred well after plant r
eproduction and most plant growth had occurred. The late season accumu
lation of phosphorus by mycorrhizal roots of R. adoneus is stored for
use during early season growth and flowering the following spring. In
this way R. adoneus can flower before soils thaw and root or mycorrhiz
al nutrient uptake can occur.